A BIKE will be at the top of many children's wish-lists this Christmas, unfortunately it's also at the top of many criminals' hit-lists too.

Bikes are ideal targets for thieves - especially if they have been left unsecured or inside unlocked sheds. It takes minutes for an opportunist thief to spot an unlocked bike and make off with it and hundreds of pounds worth of ‘Christmas present’ can be stolen in an instant.

BikeRegister, the UK’s national cycle database, is urging everyone who is considering buying cycles as Christmas gifts - and those who already own bikes - to take steps to keep them safe and protected from thieves.

"Don't let thieves ruin your Christmas and take action now to stop thieves from stealing your bikes,” advised James Brown, MD of BikeRegister. “You can register your bike for free at www.bikeregister.com and purchase one of our marking kits for added protection. Marking your bike with a unique code ensures that Police will be able to trace your bike back to you if it is stolen and recovered.” 

BikeRegister is a Police-approved marking scheme with over 450,000 bikes already registered on the system. The BikeRegister kit is the Metropolitan Police Service’s (MPS) preferred bike marking product and is used by officers at the many bike marking events that take place in all 32 boroughs across London.

Inspector Titus Halliwell, from the MPS Roads and Transport Policing Command, recommends the following top tips to protect your bike over the Christmas period and well into 2016…

Top Tips to Protect Your Bike

1) Property mark all bicycles in your household and register those details online with BikeRegister (www.bikeregister.com) keeping a note of those details safely for future reference.

2) Only use Gold standard accredited Sold Secure locks ensuring that the frame and both wheels are securely locked to a designated cycle parking stand 

3) Remove all easily removable items such as lights and saddle pouches before leaving your bike unattended.

4) In the unfortunate event that your bike is stolen, report it to police in as much detail as possible including the frame number and ensure your BikeRegister account is updated which will ‘flag’ the theft, sending out an automatic ‘bike stolen’ alert via social media.

5) Only buy second-hand bikes from a reputable dealer. Remember if the price is too good to be true it probably is!

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For further information and images contact: Jodie Fisher, Marketing Executive for Selectamark.

Phone: +44 (0)1689 487829
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @bikeregister